Undercover
by tpchicken
Summary: Det. Munch finds himself caught up in a undercover operation that challenges him as a detective and as a Jew, and just might take his life! Completed! Hurray!
1. The Return

Author's Note and Disclaimer: Hello folks and welcome to another edition of "Let's get Munch in a sticky situation!" Let's face it; I'm hopeless for Munch. I wasn't going to write for a while, but this just wouldn't get out of my brain until it went down on paper. So here it is; I hope you enjoy.

And now I must say that I do not own any thing related to Law and Order: SVU. I also wanted to say that I hope this doesn't offend anyone of the Jewish faith, it was not meant to do that. It is for entertainment purposes only. I personally am not Jewish, and must give a shout out to the Judaism 101 website for helping me with spelling and such. I had no idea how to spell synagogue or yarmulke, and now I do! I do respect the culture and I want to learn Yiddish. (I already speak German, Yiddish might be fun!) I also do not own anything related to Homicide: life on the street, I just borrowed Kay Howard for one short scene, simply because her and Munch rock together.

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The white police sedan rolled to a stop in front of the Amtrax station in Baltimore. Sitting in the passenger seat, John Munch turned and looked at the woman with the firey red hair sitting behind the steering wheel.

"It was good working with you again Kay," he said smiling at his former sergeant.

"The whole thing was ridiculous John. These detectives they have in homicide now are all idiots! An old case that you and I practically had closed nine years ago, except our prime suspect skipped town, resurfaces and those immature pea brains screw it up, creating a red ball that forces you and I to come back and clean up their mess," Sgt. Kay Howard was still fuming.

John just chuckled, "I've missed you Kay - no woman I know has your kind of passion." He started to go on, but his cell phone rang.

"Munch." "Hey Fin, yeah?" "No, we just reached the Amtrax." "I'll be back in about three hours" "Okay I'll meet you a headquarters" he snapped his phone closed and his eyes met with Kay's.

"It never stops, does it," she said meaningfully.

"What can I say? I'm popular," he smiled. "Take care of yourself, huh Kay?"

"I will John. You do the same okay? And would it hurt you to visit more often?" she asked.

"Visit? I was just here! I'm trying to avoid this place like the plague. I bet it wouldn't hurt you to come up to New York for awhile," he retorted.

"No way," she replied.

"I'll let you sleep on my couch," he said in a singsong voice and gave her his famous 'over the glasses' look. This resulted in a stiff push toward the door from Kay.

"Get out of my car Munch!" she said.

John just chuckled as he got out and retrieved his luggage from the back seat. "Good-bye Kay - till next time!"

Kay just shook her head meaningfully.

He shut the door of the car and watched her for a moment as she sped away. He smiled to himself and shook his head as he made his way towards the tracks.

XXX

Hours later he was exiting another car, this time a taxi in New York City. He stood up and streached his old and weary limbs as he looked up at the building where he spent most of his time. For a moment the building leared down at him, towering over him, predicting some impending doom, but he just shook those feelings off, paid the cabby, took his things and walked inside.

The buzz of the people in the Special Victims squad room was an unwelcome sight for Munch. After the red ball in Baltimore, he had hoped to come back to something slightly quieter, at least for a week or so until he could settle back into his routine. This was not to be. He rolled his suitcase next to his desk and joined his fellow detectives at the board where they were going over their current case.

"Do we know cause of death yet?" Captain Don Cragen asked.

"Still undetermined," replied Detective Elliot Stabler. "The ME is still working on it. The wounds and bruising on both victims seem to be uncharacteristic of anything we've seen before."

"Hey John! Welcome back! How was Baltimore?" Detective Olivia Benson greeted John.

"A barrel of fun - like always. I see you all have wasted no time getting yourselves into another mess. Is this why I was called straight here?" replied Munch. He scanned the pictures on the board.

"This one is right up your alley John," explained Cragen. "We've got two victims, found two weeks apart. Both are older males, found naked, bloodied, bruised and beaten in conjoining alleyways."

"I don't understand what that has to do with me at all," replied John. "Exactly why is this so important that after a month of being away, I couldn't go home and unpack first?"

"Because they're both Jewish, John," answered Cragen.

Surprised, John took a closer look at the crime scene photos. He recognized the yarmulkes on the heads of both men. He studied the situation carefully, taking in all the facts he could from what the pictures would tell him.

"We are thinking maybe hate crimes," spoke Detective Odafin Tutuola, or simply Fin, for the first time.

"No," said John quietly. "This isn't a hate crime - they were stoned to death."

What? Are you sure?" questioned Benson. "What about the marks on the back?"

"It looks like they were whipped and then stoned," answered Munch. "The marks on the back would be caused by a whip, but the irregular bruising probably is caused by large stones being hurled at the person until they were crushed to death."

"But why isn't this a hate crime then?" asked Cragen.

"Because stoning is a traditional method of capital punishment for the Jews as punishment for heinous sins." Everyone looked surprised at Munch, he continued. "I'm talking times of Moses, of Herod, nobody preaches this now."

"Well someone must be starting it back up," stated Cragen. "Any other similarities between these two?"

Benson was the first to speak. "They were both over fifty, both either single or divorced, and just moved here with-in the last six to eight months."

"And they lived in the same neighborhood," Fin chimed in.

"Okay. Stabler, Benson, go check out all the synagogues in that area where the men lived and where they were found. Let's see if we can find out where these two worshipped and if there are any connections there."

"Captain," started Munch. "Don't you think maybe I should do that? I know I'm a pretty rotten one, but I am a Jew and maybe…"

Cragen cut him off with the raise of his hand. "No John, my gut is telling me to keep you presence a secret for now. Go home, unpack, get some rest. We'll see you tomorrow."

John nodded. He was secretly glad not to have to go out. He had an uncomfortable relationship with his religion for as long as he could remember. He leaned on it because it was his heritage, his family. He grew up in a Jewish household, learning its traditions and culture. But he hated it because of the hypocrisy he found within, and the condemnation he felt from the outside. His parents had put up a good front as a nice Jewish family for a while, but then his father cracked under the pressure of life and had commited suicide, and his mother had become violent and abusive. He spent his time protecting his brother from these realities.

When he had turned to his religion for answers, he had found none. He had become a frustrated, stubborn, hurt and confused teenager. They had moved to Baltimore and he found that he couldn't run from his religion. His classmates could see he was Jewish. He was beat-up and bullied constantly. Somewhere deep down, even now, all those emotions were there. He couldn't hide history forever, his emotions would be hard to continue to repress.

XXX

The next Morning, John was already sitting at his desk reading the files from the current case when the other three detectives stumbled into the squad room. They deposited their thing and made their way over to the coffee pot, where they began munching on the bagels that John brought in for them.

Cragen came out of his office and swept his way through the room. "What do we know?" he asked.

"Turns out that both men were in the same congregation. Elliot and I talked the several Rabbis before we found it. The Rabbi's name is Reubenstein. He wouldn't talk to us for very long, but confirmed that both men had attended his congregation. He said that both were coming back to the religion after very long absences," explained Benson.

"He wasn't very surprised or broken up when we told him that they were dead," said Stabler. "He didn't act guilty, but something tells me there is more there than meets the eye."

"I checked the databases - nothing on our Rabbi, but I did get a match on several similar cases from the last 15 years," stated Fin as he passed his finding around the group. "We've got 5 cold cases in that time frame, all older Jewish males, beaten just like our two, in that same neighborhood. All are unsolved."

"And no one noticed the connection until now?" asked Cragen.

"Probably never thought to look," answered Benson. "The crimes are so far apart. We only are catching this now because there were two in two weeks."

"I'm telling ya, this Rabbi knows something, I can feel it!" exclaimed Stabler.

"We don't have enough for a warrant," replied Cragen. "What about the crime scenes, any evidence?"

"Nothing," said Fin.

"Then I guess its time for a little undercover work," stated Cragen as he looked pointedly at Munch.

John could quickly see where this was headed. "On no, Captain…"

"Sorry John, you fit the bill. Plus you've been out of the city for a month, so its unlikely that you've been spotted as a cop."

"I think you'll look really cute in one of those yarmulkes," jabbed Fin. Munch just glared.

"You're overruled," said Cragen. "Let's set it up."


	2. The Operation

Author's Note: Well here we are again. Thanks so much to those who reviewed. I enjoy writing Munch, and ya'll make it worthwhile! I'm going to admit (something a writer should probably never do) that this chapter was different to write. I've only every written from Munch's POV, but to move the story along and push the suspense, this had to be written from Fin's POV. I hope I do him justice. I know Munch like the back of my hand. Fin's a little harder. I should also point out that some of this Fin tells in flashback style, so to clarify dialogue that was said in the past, its written in italics. I hope this is not confusing!

But not to worry! The Munchie goodness is still here. I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think…

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On a lazy Saturday morning, Fin and Munch sat in a police sedan waiting. It had been two months since they had started this undercover operation, and they had slowly learned very little. Still, Cragen felt like this was important enough to continue. Fin had participated in many undercover operations, especially during his time in narcotics. He had been a part of some of the most elaborate sting operations in the last 10 years. This current operation would've been a walk in the park for his former squad.

Fin had to admit, undercover in SVU was a completely different animal. He didn't envy Munch in the least. Sure, Fin enjoyed the illusion of undercover, but busting someone with drugs was easier than coaxing a confession from a rapist or murder without that person knowing they were confessing. This was a particularly difficult situation, not knowing if they were even on the right track. That's why every caution had been taken that first Saturday.

Munch had been given a new id, Richard Katz, an investment banker who just got transferred from Baltimore. Most of the history of his cover mirrored Munch's own life to make it less complicated. Oddly, this was almost an advantage for them since the situation was similar to the victims - an older man returning to his religion. They had hoped this would create a situation where Rabbi Reubenstein would give up a clue or two.

Along with the id, they had outfitted Munch with a cell phone for "Mr. Katz", just in case someone wanted to get a hold of him during the week. That had caused quite a problem in the first couple of weeks since Munch had problems operation just one phone, but to keep the two straight was almost comical. Fin had started carrying around Munch's personal phone so he wouldn't get the two mixed up.

Also he received a GPS tracker made up to look like a Star of David pendant on a chain that he could wear under his shirt. This was important in case they lost visual or audio contact, they could find him again. Munch had admitted to Fin in private that the tracker made him uncomfortable, not only because the thought of losing contact meant something bad, but also because now the government knew where he was. "Why don't they just implant it into my skin and get it over with?" Munch had complained.

That first Saturday had been full of anticipation. The five of them had been crammed into a van, parked around the corner from the synagogue. Stabler and Benson sat in the front seats pretending to have a conversation about a repair job, but really they were scanning the people walking past. Fin was in the back, helping Munch into the wire, while Cragen gave him last minute instructions.

"_I would still feel more comfortable with a gun," Munch had complained._

"_You know that's not possible, John. It would be way to suspicious," was Cragen's reply._

_Benson had turned around. "Don't worry, we'll be right here, nothing's going to happen."_

Benson's words could not have been closer to the truth. Sure there had been some close moments right off the bat when Munch almost introduced himself as John instead of Richard, but he had covered himself nicely. And people had caught him, twice, when he was fingering his badge in his pocket, but he had written it off as a nervous twitch in his hand. It had actually been quite boring. None of them knew Hebrew, so it had been hard to follow most of what was going on, but Munch had managed to talk to almost everyone there and names were added to the list of suspects.

The process had repeated itself the next two Saturdays, and although they were narrowing down suspects, the only thing they really seemed to be accomplishing, in Fin's opinion, was to piss Munch off. Not only were they losing their Saturdays, something none of them liked, but afterwards, Munch would come back fuming about the things the Rabbi had taught.

"This isn't Judaism!" Munch would complain. "This guy is a racist and a bigot. He reads one thing out of the Torah and tells his followers to contradict it, all in the same breath. Maybe I have no room to talk, but…"

Munch would continue until finally Fin would tell him to shut it. As much as Munch disliked the man - they couldn't convict for murder on a dislike.

After the third Saturday, things started to break down. Stabler and Benson had caught another case, a high profile one at that. Cragen was getting pressure form above, so Munch and Fin had to split time between cases. This hadn't been too big a deal, since the undercover happened only on Saturdays. What had been a big deal was the loss of the wire and other equipment. The only two things they got to keep were the GPS tracker and the cell phone.

So Fin had spent his next three Saturday mornings sitting in the police issue sedan by himself, watching the little "Munch blip" on the tracking screen and listening in on what he could hear through the phone in Munch's coat pocket. It surely wasn't the most glamorous job. He looked like a loser watching TV in his car. He could think of a hundred other places he'd rather be, the first being asleep in his bead. The worst part was, they weren't sure if they were any closer to solving the crime then they had been two months before.

This was why Fin was relieved when Munch gave the ultimatem.

"This is the last Saturday," Munch had declared. "Either we find something new, or that's it. I'm tired of listening to that crackpot preach and wasting my Saturday. I had more fun dressing up as a priest back in Baltimore and staying up all night waiting to get stabbed! At least we had a clear purpose."

Cragen had agreed, mostly because he needed Fin and Munch doing other things. So now, the two sat there, doing their last minute preparations.

"You know, you're suppose to be trying to fit in with these people - could you keep your exhasperated sighs to a minimum today?" Fin started in.

"I don't know what you're implying," Munch returned. "I don't sigh - I just breathe."

"Breathe, sigh, whatever - you sound like you're coughing up a hairball. And don't act too excited that this is our last Saturday. These people don't know that, they think you're coming back next week."

"Who died and made you Captain?" Munch shot back.

"Just go," Fin said as he unlocked the car. "And remember, I'll be listening."

"Yippy," Munch glanced at him over his glasses.

And Fin was left alone.

XXX

Almost an hour later, Fin was still sitting alone in the police sedan. He cursed himself for the upteenth time for not bringing a book or game boy or something to pass the time. "You're suppose to be backing your partner, remember?" he told himself accusingly.

A knock on his window pulled him out of his thoughts. A uniformed officer stood outside the car peering down on him. Startled, Fin rolled down the window and took the hands-free set out of his ear. "Can I help you officer?" Fin asked gingerly.

"I've been getting complaints from the neighbors around here about a strange man in a car. May I inquire as to the nature of your business here Sir?" the officer eyed him cautiously.

"Don't you know a police sedan when you see one?" Fin asked, drawing out and flashing his badge. "I'm Detective Tutuola of Special Victims. My partner and I are running and undercover op. here."

The officer eyed the badge and car. Realizing his mistake, he became very apoligetic. "I'm sorry! This is my first beat. I'm only a week out! Did I compromise anything? Man, my sergeant is going to kill me."

"Calm down," said Fin. "No harm done. We're almost done here anyway. I'm just waiting for my partner. Just be more observant next time and check your facts."

"Yes Sir, sorry Sir!" the policeman waved as he walked away.

Fin just laughed and shook his head. He had been young and dumb once too. It came with the territory. It was okay as long as you grew out of it. He reached down for the hands free device and placed it back in his ear. What he wasn't expecting was to hear the dead air on the other line.

"Munch? Hey, are you there?" He grabbed the phone from where it lay. Munch wasn't supposed to hang up until he reached the car. Fin was sure it was an accident. He had heard the services end, so Munch must have accidently ended the call. It wasn't till he checked the GPS screen that Fin became worried. The constant little blip that was supposed to be Munch wasn't there! Fin checked closer to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, but sure enough, nothing registered on the screen.

"Maybe it's a glitch," he frantically thought. But turning the machine off and back on didn't remedy the problem.

"Damn it!" Fin grabbed his phone and exited the car, running to the building where Munch should have been. His mind raced with questions and what he was going to say when a black man burst into a Jewish synagogue. Sure enough, it was an uncomfortable situation when he walked in the building. Eyes glared at him questioning what right he had to be there. Quickly a man came up to him, pulling him to a corner and asked if he could help Fin.

"Yeah, hi," Fin started. "I was looking for Richard Katz. We work together and I was supposed to meet him here fifteen minutes ago. Do you know if has he left?"

"Rich? Why I don't think he was here today. Hey Mary? Did you see Rich here today?"

"No Glen, I didn't see him," a short woman replied.

"I guess he changed his plans," said Glen.

Fin knew they were lying. He had heard Munch as he sat through the whole worship service. What he couldn't figure out was why they were all lying to him.

"Do you mind if I look around? I've never been in one of these building before."

"Oh I'm sorry," Mary answered. "We were just about to shoo everyone out and lock up. Maybe next time you can come with your friend Rich." Her words dripped disdain, like she couldn't stand to look at him.

"Yeah, thanks," Fin said and exited the synagogue. He took off in a run and headed back to the car. Once inside, he checked the GPS scanner once more, but Munch was still not registering. He called the cell phone for Richard Katz and Munch's own, but both went straight to voice mail. A funny feeling started to grow in Fin's stomach. Quickly, he dialed Stabler's number.

"Stabler."

"Elliot, I've got a problem, a big one. Can you meet me here at the cover location?"

"I'm on my way."

Once he hung up, he dialed Cragen. Fin hoped that he and Stabler could find Munch quickly, but if not, the Captain had to know that they had a potentially dangerous situation, especially for Munch. After a couple rings, Cragen picked up, and Fin advised him of the situation. He told Fin he'd get Benson back to the station and check with the GPS location company. If Fin and Stabler hadn't found Munch in 45 Minutes, they were to head back and search parties would be set up.

Stabler arrived shortly after Fin had hung up with Cragen. Fin once again explained the situation, but when he looked down at the tracker screen, there was the Munch blip! He was 10 blocks away and moving out, but he was there. Stabler jumped into the car and navigated as Fin drove like a mad man. If anything had happened to Munch, he would never forgive himself for becoming distracted.

"Turn left!" commanded Stabler. "Park here!"

Fin turned off the car, and both men got out. "According to this thing, he should be down there to the right," explained Stabler.

Fin jogged over and peered down the dark alleyway. "Are you sure? What would he be doing down there?" Fin already feared the worse, as the two men drew their guns and headed cautiously between the buildings. A sudden noise startled Stabler, causing him to jerk right and point his gun, but it turned out just to be a stray dog. Fin continued down the path until Stabler called him back.

"Fin, hey! We've got a problem." Fin turned around as Stabler bent down and unclasped something from around the dog's neck. He held it up for Fin to see. The Star of David pendant gleamed at the two detectives.

"Munch's GPS tracker," realized Fin.

"We've been had," announced Stabler.


	3. The Friend

Author's note: You didn't think I'd leave you hanging did you? Of course I wouldn't! Besides I need the daily affirmation I get when people read and review. So, thank you all for coming back to see what happens to Munch.

Oh, Scrawler: Yes there was a Homicide episode where Munch dressed up as a priest, season 6, "Something Sacred (2)". He's only in the beginning of the episode, but he's dressed up as a priest and its pretty funny. He wears the UGLIEST hat. Check it out; it's a classic.

Speaking of Homicide. I was thinking about writing a Munch/Howard Homicide fic, sort of a precursor to this fic, to explain why Munch was in Baltimore. But my question would be, if I wrote it, would anybody go over and read it? I don't see a lot of action in the Homicide category. I'm working it in my mind; so let me know. Just so you know, it won't be a romance thing per say, more like my other fics except Munch and Howard make a cute partnership.

Okay, anyways, on to the story… Happy Reading!

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Blackness seemed to engulf him, and he wondered why his body ached. He struggled to pull himself out of the fuzziness and back into consciousness. His arms were pinned above his head and he struggled to release them down to his sides but was unable. As he regained his senses, he could taste the bile in the back of his throat, causing him to retch violently. He had never felt this sick or confused. He blinked his eyes open, attempting to adjust to the darkness of his surroundings. He adjusted his eyes into focus to get a better picture of where he was, why he was there, and how he had come to this place.

His mind searched through the fog in his brain for the last thing he could remember. He was distracted by the hardness of the ground underneath him and the immobility of his body. He wanted badly to remedy the aches and pains his body felt but could not. So instead he wracked his brain for the answers to his situation.

Piece by piece the puzzle fell into place. He had been undercover in the synagogue, listening to that mental amoeba, that so called Rabbi Reubenstein blabber on and on. He had given the assignment his full attention and support, but there had been no evidence. They had let the case go cold. They had failed and wasted their time.

At the end of the service, he stood up to leave. _"I'll see you in five," _he had mumbled, hoping that Fin had caught it through the cell phone in his pocket. Before he could walk out the door, Glen had caught up with him.

"_Hey Rich! Wait a second!" Glen had said._

He had turned to face the younger, taller athletic man.

"The Rabbi wanted a word with you. Do you have a minute or two?" Glen had looked at him eagerly.

Truthfully, he had wanted to run out of there as fast as possible, but thinking that this might be a break in the case he agreed and followed the man. Glen had opened the door to the Rabbi's office and ushered the older man inside.

This had been his first mistake. The moment he had stepped inside and saw the smirk on Rabbi Reubenstein's face he had know he had stepped into a trap.

"_Ah, Detective John Munch, finally we get a chance to talk!" the Rabbi had said._

His second mistake had been the shock and surprise that came over him when he realized his cover had been blown. He could only hope now that Fin was still listening and had realized the danger his partner was in.

_The Rabbi had continued, "Pity. We'll have to wait to continue this until everyone arrives."_

This statement had confused him even more. He didn't realize what was happening till it was too late. Hands reached out from behind him and restrained him. He struggled, but the cloth was placed over his mouth and nose. He could taste it and smell it and knew instantly that it was chloraform. The darkness surrounded him and he was gone.

He wasn't sure how long he had been unconscious. There were several unsure things that were bothering him. His surroundings were unfamiliar and he couldn't be sure if he was still at the synagogue. It was a small dark room that was definitely underground. There was only one small window that let him know it was daytime, but little else. There was no other furniture in the room. He looked up and realized his hands had been tied together and chained to the wall. His watch was missing.

That caused another panic as he inventoried what had been taken from him. His jacket and tie had been removed, meaning that his badge, cell phone and wallet were also gone. He found it odd that they had also taken his shoes and socks. His last ditch hope was that they had not seen the GPS tracker around his neck, but it was in vain, they had taken that as well. Although fully clothed, he felt naked as his hopes were dashed. Now Fin would never find him.

His first reaction was that they had left him there to starve to death. He felt weak and was sure it had been awhile since he ate or drank. Thinking logically, he concluded that there had to be more. The bodies they had found had endured some sort of torture. He had to escape before the same fate found him.

Footsteps alerted him to the presence of people outside the room. He strained his ears trying to pick up their conversation.

"The Rabbi wants him moved again before trial. The police are on to us."

"Of course they're on to us, he's a cop!"

"He's a sinner. He must be tried and punished."

"I don't know Mike. This doesn't seem right anymore."

"Of course this is right Chris. We all must be tried. You and I were tried and found innocent, but not all are clear before the lord."

"But we killed two people. Surely that doesn't make us innocent anymore," said Chris.

"Those were the guilty, the sinners. Their crimes dictated that they should die. We did what was commanded to us."

"But Mike…" Chris's voice trailed off.

"Enough!" announced Mike. "Either you believe or you will be condemned like the others."

"Okay," Chris said quietly, but he did not sound convinced.

Mike took no notice of this. "Good, now you get the prisoner ready, I'll go get the van."

A set of footsteps walked away as the door to the room swung open. Munch had listened intently to the conversation and hoped to use it to his advantage. All the eavesdropping in the squad room had paid off. Looking at Chris, he recognized him. Christopher Schultz was a young man who had finished dental school two years ago. He was full of hopes and dreams and had shared this with John a couple of times before and after the services. John wondered how he had gotten involved with such people.

"You're awake!" Chris said with surprise.

"Yeah, I guess I am," mumbled Munch hoarsely.

"You've been sick," Chris noticed. He searched in his bag for a towel he was carrying and attempted to clean up the mess John had vomited.

"Chloraform will do that," John said bitterly.

Chris stopped what he was doing for a moment and looked up at the other man, searching his face. "I'm sorry Rich," he said.

"Actually, its John," Munch replied.

"Oh yeah, they said that. I forgot. Its weird," said Chris.

"What's weird?" John asked. "That I'm an undercover detective with a different identity, or that I've been kidnapped and will probably be condemned to die?"

"Both," Chris simply said. He got up quickly and checked the door, making sure Mike wasn't coming back soon. He returned to Munch and untied his hands, releasing them down. John rubbed his wrist where his bonds had chaffed them. Chris reached into his bag and pulled out some apple slices and a bottle of water.

"You're not suppose to have this, but I think its only fair," Chris handed the items to John. "Please drink slowly."

"Thanks," John sipped the water and munched the apple. The two men sat there, lost in their own thoughts for a moment as John ate. Impending doom was waiting for him, and yet there was a faint hope in this man. He hoped he could play the cards right and not bust.

"Look, Chris…" Munch began, but faint footsteps outside cut him off.

"Crap!" yelped Chris. He jumped up quickly and snatched the items from John and placed them back in his bag. Replacing them, he pulled out a bottle and a rag. He poured some of the contents of the bottle on the rag and looked at Munch.

"I'm sorry John, but you can't be conscious," he said apologetically. He started towards the older man.

"I understand," John replied as he breathed the fumes once more and everything returned to black.

XXX

He awoke to the sounds of men arguing. He kept this eyes shut tight as the threat of vomiting swept over him once more. This time he was able to subdue it, but a low groan escaped his lips. Fortunately, the men were too busy to notice their captive was awake. The affects of the drug must not have been as strong the second time. He lay on his side on the ground, his hands retied behind his back. There had to be four or five men in the room, but he could hear sound of others outside the door. He concentrated on the conversation the men were having.

"Why can't we just let him go?" John recognized Chris's voice.

"Are you mad? He's police. They won't understand," an unknown man spoke.

Munch heard Mike speak next. "We're waiting for the Rabbi and Glen to return. They have no evidence, they'll have to be released soon."

This was a small comfort. Fin and the others were on the right track. If only he could clue them in somehow.

"But its almost dark soon," Chris shot back. "Its against Mosaic Law to hold trial after dark. We've had him for four days, we're bound to be caught sooner or later!"

Now John started to panic. He had been missing for four days! He couldn't believe it was already Tuesday evening.

"Maybe we should just skip the trial and kill him now," a second unrecognizable voice said.

"No, we wait for instructions from Rabbi Reubenstein. Until he returns, we wait," the first man said.

"But what if he's followed? What if the police do find something? What if he mistakenly incriminates himself? What if…"

Mike interrupted the second unknown man's questions. "There are always 'what ifs', but we shouldn't worry about that. The Rabbi is a wise man. We need only have faith. Come, let's make the last minute preparations while we wait."

John heard three sets of footsteps walk out of the room and the door was shut. The last man walked cautiously to where John lay. Munch dare not open his eyes. He wasn't willing to give away the fact that he was conscious quite yet.

"John?" the voice asked quietly. "John, I know you are awake."

Munch opened his eyes and stared back at Chris. He wanted to open his mouth and speak, but his throat was so dry, he found it hard to form the words.

"I brought some water," Chris whispered. He lifted the bottle to the other man's lips. John took the water into his mouth, but choked.

"Careful!" Chris warned. "There you go."

After a couple of sips, John felt much better. He was grateful for Chris's help, but time was running out.

"This isn't right," Munch said.

"I know, but I can't stop them," Chris replied.

"Help me escape."

Chris was taken aback. "I can't!" he stuttered.

"Please, if we don't stop this now, they'll do it again. It won't stop till we, till YOU stop them," Munch said matter-of-fact. His eyes pleaded with the younger man's. He searched Chris's face for any kind of answer.

"Tonight," Chris agreed. "But only if the Rabbi doesn't come back in time."

Munch nodded and fell back exhausted. Chris stood up and left the room.

XXX

Hours later, Munch could see that night had fallen. He started to worry that either the Rabbi had returned and Chris had aborted the escape plan, or the others had caught Chris and they were both in big trouble. For the first time in a long, long while he felt hopeless. Thinking that he'd have to go it alone, he struggled against the bonds that held him. He had made very little progress when footsteps in the hallway halted his futile attempt.

He let out the breath he'd been holding when Chris entered through the door. He looked shaken, but determined.

"We got lucky," he started. "The police are on the Rabbi's tail and he's having a hard time giving them the slip. It'll be close, but I think I can get you out of here."

Chris reached down and untied the rope around Munch's hands. He helped John up and put his arm around him for support and they headed out and down the hall, as quietly as possible. Chris had set up a few roadblocks and detours in the building that would hopefully allow them free passage to an outside door. Twice Chris had to leave Munch to head off a curious person and John listened quietly as he rested against the wall. It was a nerve wracking fifteen minutes, but they managed to make their way to freedom. John was more impressed when they found a Taxi waiting for them.

"Well, you can't walk back," Chris had explained as he helped John into the waiting cab. He handed Munch his badge and wallet. "These were the only things I could find that were yours."

"Thanks," replied Munch.

Chris turned to the cabbie and handed him some money. "Take this man where ever he needs to go."

"Sixteenth precinct," John said. The cabbie nodded and Chris backed away.

"Wait! Where are you going?" John asked Chris confused.

"Back."

"But what will they do when they find out I'm gone and you helped?"

"Kill me I suppose."

"Well that's stupid. Your life isn't worth mine. Come to the station with me; finish what you've started. Testify against these people."

"I don't know. I deserve what I get. And if the police come, I deserve the punishment we all get, too."

"Maybe you do. But with your statement, we'll make sure the police do get here and this stops. Real justice will be done."

Chris looked at Munch and then turned around and stared at the building behind him. He turned back and shut the car door. Munch felt his heart fall. Chris was making the wrong decision. Then John saw him open the front passenger door and get in. Chris turned to the cabbie.

"Get us out of here! Quick!"


	4. The Background

Fin slammed his fist down on his desk. His whole body shook from office coffee and lack of sleep. He hadn't been able to rest properly since Munch went missing Saturday morning. Now it was late Tuesday evening and he felt no closer to finding where his partner was. Truthfully he felt frustrated because they had been blocked at every turn. And what really infuriated him was it had happened mostly by lawyers and judges. Munch always called it "the Establishment." Right now "the Establishment" was really pissing Fin off.

Pounding the desk hadn't helped anything either. It didn't make him feel better; it only made his had hurt. He was ready to bust the whole squad room to pieces if he thought it'd bring Munch back but it wouldn't. It would probably only make Cragen mad, and he couldn't afford the garnishing of his wages to pay for the damages either.

"What are we missing?" he yelled at no one in particular.

"Fin, calm down," said Benson

"We let go of our two main suspects hours ago because we couldn't get anything outta them, and you want me to calm down?" Fin screamed.

"Yes," replied Stabler. "Fin, we'll find him."

"How? The trail's gone cold. We got nothing on the search of the synagogue, and nothing out of the Rabbi or Glen! We've got nothing!"

Stabler put a reassuring hand on Fin's shoulder. "We'll find him."

"What are we suppose to do? Wait till we find his bony ass naked in an alleyway somewhere?"

"How about you help my bony ass back to my desk before I fall over?"

Startled, all three detectives whipped around to find Munch being held up by an unidentified man in the doorway. He looked awful. He was dirty and his hair was a mess. His suit jacket, tie, socks and shoes were gone. His gray dress shirt was untucked and partially unbuttoned. Fin guessed that the only thing keeping Munch up was the young man supporting him.

"Oh my god!" Benson exclaimed.

Stabler ran over and helped Munch take a seat at his desk. Cragen, Dr. Huang, and Casey Novak the ADA had all come out of Cragen's office to see what the commotion was and were surprised to find the veteran detective returned. Fin just stood in unbelief. Had the others not been reacting the same as he, he would've guessed that Munch was a mirage, but since they were, it could only mean one thing.

"Do you mean I've been going crazy over you for four days, and now you're just going to saunter in here and make jokes like it is no big deal!" Fin complained. His anger wasn't subsiding; he just wasn't sure who he was angry at anymore.

"I'm sorry? I haven't exactly been on a vacation in Paris here, Fin," John spat the words back. The two partners glared at each other for a moment, and Fin felt the anger subside. He had forgotten that John was the victim, he hadn't meant for this to happen.

"I'm sorry," Fin apologized.

"It's okay," Munch accepted.

"Where have you been?" asked Cragen. "And who's this guy?"

"I've been to hell and back," Munch answered. "And he's a fallen angel I found. He's a newfound friend. This is Chris. He'll be handing Rabbi Reubenstein and his unscrupulous colleagues to us on a platter for all the vicious things they've done, and in return, we'll be giving him full immunity."

"Oh really," said Casey. "I don't remember my office agreeing to this deal."

"Trust me, do the deal. This kid got mixed up in some pretty crazy things, but I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. We owe him, I owe him this," Munch pleaded.

"Please, I'll tell you everything. I'll do anything and give you all the information you need," Chris begged. "I deserve to be punished for what I've done. I'll take the punishment if you want me too."

Munch and Cragen looked at Casey. "I'll deal," she agreed. "Besides it seems we have bigger fish to fry than this good Samaritian."

Fin nodded. He was relieved. The whole pressure of what had happened over the weekend went away, and he was finally free to do what he did best; kick some bad guy butt.

They adjourned into an interrogation room so they could have some privacy. Benson, Stabler and Dr. Huang offered to wait behind the looking glass and observe from there, leaving Cragen, Fin and Casey to talk to the kid. Munch went with them also. They had pleaded with him to go to the hospital, but he was being stubborn. Fin finally had to just give in to his partner so they wouldn't waste any more time.

Chris's tale was sick. The Rabbi had taken their religion to a different extreme, instead of remember how merciful the lord could be, he had twisted it into a perverse form of judgment. When someone new came to the synagogue, they would welcome him, but secretly the Rabbi would do some background checking. Apparently, for a while he had dabbled as a PI, but quit when he realized the tendencies humans had to be bad. He felt that the guilty were going unpunished for heinous crimes, and that the Law of Moses required that the guilty be stoned. This matter he took into his own hands. Many of his followers supported this because they felt if they were taking justice into their own hands, they were making their lives safer.

When Chris had joined the group 3 years earlier, he hadn't suspected anything. Then two months into it, after a service, he was led down to a basement and was tried. He couldn't really call it a trial because the verdict was already decided before he got there. Nevertheless, Chris had stood trial and was found innocent and learned of the true nature of the group. Since they were the only friends he had made since coming to New York, he initially went along with the group's activities. But after the two men had been found guilty and he had participated and witnessed their deaths, he lost his resolve. By that time, they had convinced him there was no way out. He was a part of it, if he liked it or not. So he had stayed. So when Munch, posing as Katz, had joined the group, his stomach had dropped out. He wished not to participate, which was why he was given the job to guard Munch.

"Well, that was a mistake that worked in our favor," Munch sighed gratefully. "But what I want to know is why it took four days to get me out."

"We had some opposition," Cragen gingerly explained.

"Opposition my ass," said Fin. "Everything worked against us from the time I realized you were gone!"

Together they worked out how the events of the weekend played out. Chris explained that the beat officer had been a decoy sent out to distract any partner that Munch may have had, and the reason that Munch's cell phone and tracker had gone off line were because of some electronic blocker that the Rabbi had installed in the walls of his office. That had allowed them the time to take Munch's unconscious body down through the basement, into a tunnel and into a joining building, where they kept him till Sunday night.

Fin explained the legal woes they had been having. After finding Munch's GPS tracker on the dog, they had formed search parties throughout the neighborhood, but it had been a big waste of time and they lost most of their Saturday. Fin had been convinced that Munch was still in the synagogue, and though they tried, they couldn't find a judge that was willing to allow them to search a place of religion, even if it was the last place Munch had been. It hadn't been till early Monday, after the day of rest, or unrest for them, which Casey had finally gotten a judge into a corner who agreed to sign off on the warrant.

"By then, we had already left to the other compound," Chris explained.

"Yeah, I noticed," said Fin.

Chris and Munch took turns detailing the events of their weekend, Chris explaining the finer points and Munch would jump in now and then with his side, plus some sarcasm thrown it for fun. They all agreed that Munch had been lucky that the Rabbi was feeling the pressure from the authorities, and had prolonged torture and death. But by Monday, he had already been drugged again and moved, which was why the police found nothing.

"You're right, we had nothing. Until Monday afternoon, when we caught up with the Rabbi and his friend Glen," explained Fin.

"Yeah, Glen's his right hand man. They've known each other for years. I think they were in the PI business together," said Chris.

"They're both tight lipped pricks. We grilled them as long as we could, but both men wouldn't budge or say anything to give us a clue what was going on. I'm surprised they didn't lawyer up," complained Fin.

"Probably think they're all smarter that us, don't they," sighed Munch.

"We held them till Tuesday afternoon, around 4pm, then we had to cut them loose," said Cragen. "After that we were dead in the water. We had a detail follow them, and they did give a pretty wild chase for several hours trying to shake them."

"Which gave me the opportunity to set up the escape," Chris then detailed how exactly he had managed to get Munch out of there. Fin had to admit, that for someone who never had any military or police training, Chris had done a pretty good job covering his tracks, and blocking potential problems.

"What I want to know is, why did you finally decide to get in the cab?" Munch asked Chris.

"Because I decided it was time to follow someone who had real authority to punish the wicked. We murdered people. Its against the law," Chris answered.

Munch just nodded. Fin took a look at him, and thought how bad he really looked. He started to worry again.

"I think I have enough to put the rat bastards away," Casey said. "If Chris is willing to take you to the compound, we can get them all."

"No problem, as long as no one sees me," he said.

"That will be no problem," Cragen assured the younger man. They all stood up to make preparations, but suddenly Munch was back down. He had collapsed from all that had happened to him physically. After all that had happened, his body finally gave out on him. They rushed to his side, as the other three came through the door.

"I'll get my medical kit," yelled Huang. He ran quickly out of the room and back. Stabler ran to a phone to call a bus.

"I'm okay," Munch mumbled as he fell into unconsciousness.

"I'll stay with him, Cap. You all go get the men that did this," Benson offered. Cragen nodded. Fin was reluctant to leave his partner there, but there was nothing he could do. He could only go get those that had done this. They all left Benson and Huang with Munch, and headed for the compound.

XXX

The siege had gone well. Although they had lost their captive, somehow the members hadn't felt any danger of the police finding them. So when the SUV and CRT teams showed up at the compound, they were totally unprepared to handle the situation.

Chris had rode with Stabler and Fin to the site, and then agreed to ride back to the precinct in a squad car. Stabler and Fin had busted in with the first group to go through the door. They had found Glen and Mike and others of the group in a back room arguing. Fin was slightly worried that the whole process had gone too easily. There had to be some catch. As they cuffed the men, a uniformed officer came in to talk to them.

"No sign of the Rabbi anywhere," he reported.

From behind them, Glen let out a hallow laugh. "You won't find him! He's gone to punish the guilty! The guilty will receive their reward!"

Stabler gave Fin a questioning look and realization struck both men at the same time.

"Munch! We've gotta get to the hospital!" Fin yelled. Stabler reached for his phone to call his partner, and both men barreled out of the building. It was unfortunate that someone was blocking their path, and all three people fell into a heap on the ground.

"Benson!" Stabler called in recognition. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the hospital?"

"Munch is fine. He just needed an IV drip, so he told me to get out of there and do some real work. So I radioed in and they said you all were here. What's wrong?" she asked.

"That crazy Rabbi is still after Munch. He's not here, so we think he's gone after him at the hospital," Fin quickly explained.

Benson's eyes opened wide with shock. "Let's go, my car will be the easiest to get out."

The three ran to the car and were out of there with only a short yell to a confused Cragen to explain what was up. Benson drove as fast as she could, and Fin only hoped they wouldn't be too late.

XXX

Arriving shortly at the hospital the three quickly pounded down halls towards Munch's room. They kept their badges and guns at the ready, silencing anyone who'd try to stop them. Fin feared the worse, assuming that his partner was already dead, and worked in his mind how they were going to find the mad man who had done this.

"It's just down the hall," Benson called, and the three prepared themselves. Fin went in first and was shocked at what he found there. The three detectives looked in on a sight that they would've never believed had they not seen it themselves. The Rabbi Reubenstein sat motionless in the corner chair, glaring at the person occupying the bed. They turned their heads and saw Munch, still hooked up to the IV, his gun in his hand, fixed on the Rabbi. John was grinning ear to ear, his eyes shining behind his dark glasses.

"What the hell…" Fin's voice trailed off.

"You know I never feel safe unless I have my gun," Munch replied slyly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

For fun I thought I'd write this little note down at the bottom this time. Sorry this took so long to get up. I lost the urge to write for a bit, but I wanted to finish this at least. The epilogue should be up shortly.

Thanks again for the reviews, they're worth it! And it makes me feel good to know that so many enjoy my story. I've decided to hold off on a Munch/Howard Homicide fic for now. I want to get season 7 and watch it first, so I can get a grip on the idiots that worked there and not just what I've read about them. But I'll still be doing some Munch writing, when the story comes to me.

Oh and for all ya'll wondering how Munch got a gun into the hospital. I dunno, he just did. He's a cop and it's a fictional story. That works, right? ; D


	5. The Epilogue

John smiled as he entered the squad room and stowed away his things. After a good rest and a short medical leave, things were looking up again in the world. Fin had called daily to keep him updated on the case against the Rabbi and company, and things were looking very favorable. Chris had done a wonderful job at the grand jury; so good, in fact, that Munch wasn't even called to testify. He had to admit, the break had been nice, but it was good to get back to work. He didn't miss the perverts, but he missed the job and his cohorts.

The day was going pretty quietly. They had all settled into their desks and were catching up on some paperwork. He was pleased though, when the mundane paperwork was paused for a visitor.

"Hey Chris!" called Munch. "How are you doing?"

"Hi John, I'm alright. The trial is done, and they're going away for a long time. I'm really relieved," Chris said.

"Well it's all because of you. You were a big help, especially to me. I owe you big," thanked Munch.

"Well you'll have to come down to Texas then, I'm going home. I think I've had enough of New York life to last my entire lifetime," explained Chris.

"I understand," said Munch. "This place isn't for everyone."

Chris leaned in and whispered to Munch. "Besides, my ex-girlfriend and I have been talking, and we miss each other too much. We only broke it off since I was coming here. There are big things for me back in the Lone Star State."

"Well take care then. And if she wrangles you into marriage I better be invited to the wedding!" Munch joked.

"Of course! Well, good bye all!" Chris waved and headed out the door.

"Good kid," commented Fin.

"Mmm hmm," Munch agreed. He went to say more, but his phone rang. Expecting it to be a case, he picked it up quickly. "Munch."

"Munchkin! I come up here to drop off a fugitive, and hear through the rumor mill that you've been getting yourself into trouble. What are you thinking now, huh?" a familiar female voice scolded him.

"Kay, hi, I meant to call, but I've been busy and, wait, you're in New York?" Munch asked.

"Sure am. I was thinking, I haven't seen the Big Apple yet, maybe I should take a couple days out of the extensive vacation time I've racked up. Do you happen to know anyone who has a couch I can crash on, huh?" she asked jokingly.

Munch just shook his head and laughed.

XXXXXXXXXXX

DAS ENDE


End file.
